No Joking Matter
by mydoctortennant
Summary: When Emily stumbles on an anomaly she doesn't expect to meet a legend...


Bored. That was the word that Emily would use to describe that feeling that had completely consumed her entire being. Her project laid on the table unfinished beside her, a word document was opened but no words yet filled the page.

None at all.

She groaned, throwing her pen down onto the pad she'd been doodling on. She rubbed her eyes; flopping back in her desk chair, spinning until she was facing her bed. It looked so inviting – at all of four in the afternoon.

She kept herself spinning, catching a glimpse of something as it sparkled the sun light. She stood and ventured forwards to look into the back garden of the shared house she lived in. There was a ball, a giant ball of what looked like broken glass, dancing in mid-air.

She blinked a few times before looking again. It was still there.

Maybe a nap wasn't such a bad idea. Or maybe coffee.

When Emily walked into the kitchen, she saw the reflection of the dancing ball on the wall opposite the window, "The hell?" she looked through the double glazing. It was still there. She hadn't imagined it at all. Or perhaps she was dreaming.

She whipped open the back door, and gingerly approached the mysterious ball. She reached out her hand towards it only to find that her hand passed through whatever the material was instead of hitting the shards.

Curiously, foolishly so, she continued forwards.

Through the lights and fog she saw trees, a forest. Her jaw dropped. Where was the terrace house that backed onto hers? Where was the abundance of children's toys? And where the hell was she anyway, the Forest of Dean?

-

"Anomaly alert," Connor shouted, regardless of the sirens that echoed about the ARC, "Northampton."

"Better get movin' then," Quinn chagrined, grabbing his coat and sauntering out of the control room. Abby skipped out after him, Connor not fair behind her. Becker and Sarah backing the pack.

"I call shotgun!" Connor stated as he pushed through the double doors into the garage.

"You sat in the front last time," Becker called after him, gun balanced on his shoulder.

"And Becker complained when Connor kept count," Abby said discretely to Sarah as she opened the car door. There was no good arguing against Connor, besides, she always got the front seat when he drove.

"Got the sat nav?"

-

"For god's sake Merlin, you could at least pretend to be good at some things," Arthur chastised as they walked through the trees back towards Camelot. They were leading their horses after riding all morning.

"Where's the fun in pretending?"

"Well you'd have to," Arthur continued, "It's not like you're naturally good at any-" he stopped in his steps, holding out his hand to stop Merlin too. His hand reached for the hilt of his sword, drawing it; ready for attack.

"Can't we go one trip without somebody attacking us?"

"Merlin!" Arthur shot him a dangerous look, just as he swiped at Merlin's head. The younger male ducked, unimpressed by his master's actions. Then he saw the dead body of the enemy fall beside him. His eyes widened; he pushed himself from the forest floor, readying himself for the fight.

A scream.

A female scream.

Arthur took off approaching the noise it. Merlin followed him, ever the loyal servant.

He saw a girl stood in bizarre clothes, three of the villainous guards circling her. They said words like 'witchcraft' and 'lights' and 'ball'. One turned as the other two noticed Arthur charge at them. Merlin stood back as Arthur fought off the guards, two of them going for him, the other going for the girl in weird clothes.

Merlin searched the skies. Seeing a branch that was above the approaching guard, he incanted the spell in his head, forcing the branch to snap, landing short of the girl but knocking the guard back.

The brunette was looking right at him, jaw practically on the floor.

Arthur looked around for the final guard as he pulled his sword from the second guard he downed. Seeing him on the floor with a log over him and looking at Merlin. It seemed to happen a lot around him.

"Are you okay?" He enquired at the girl; she nodded her head, still in shock, looking at Merlin like she'd just seen a ghost, "Are you sure?"

"Mhmm!"

-

"It's a house," Connor stated as they pulled up next to it, "The anomaly is in a house?"

"It's in the garden," Abby corrected undoing her seat belt and pulling the door lever. She stretched as she got out. Connor checked his detector and looked at the door in front of him.

"So what, do we knock?"

"I guess we do," Danny approached the green door and rapped on the wood. They waited for a good thirty seconds before somebody opened the door, a bed-headed male squinted at them.

"Yeah?"

"There's been a gas leak in the area, we need to check the line," Quinn offered, flashing a random badge quickly with a pleasant smile on his face. Abby shot Connor a quick look before regaining her composure and grinning at the student.

"All five of you?"

"Big job," Quinn quipped patting the lad on the shoulder as he pushed past him. Abby followed him with Connor in close pursuit. Sarah and Becker entering behind them, the sleepy teen eyeing the soldier with suspicion before he shrugged and fell back into his ground floor bedroom.

"Do you think anybody went through?"

"We can't seal it if they're going to be stuck," Sarah reasoned, setting up the computer device and waiting for instruction.

"You, stay here," Becker order, pointing around the group. He aided himself with his weapon and stepped towards the anomaly. Connor went to move after him. Abby's reflexes shot her hand out to grab him arm and pull him back.

"Connor," she warned.

"What? It's not like we've not been through anomalies before," he shrugged and followed the other male through. Abby sighed, rolling her eyes and followed him through.

"Comin'?" Danny asked Sarah heading in after Abby.

"I'll just stay here, man the station. Stop anybody else going."

"Suit yourself."

-

"What's your name?" Arthur enquired, still catching his breath after the fight.

"Emily," the girl uttered, looking away from Merlin for the first time since the action was all over, "My name is Emily."

"Prince Arthur, and that useless lump is Merlin."

"Merlin?" she looked back at the younger male, he couldn't be much older than her nineteen years, "Shouldn't he have a beard and pointed hat?"

"Merlin couldn't grow a beard if he tried," the Prince quipped.

"Hang on, iArthur/i?"

"Prince, and future King of Camelot," Merlin spoke up, "Royal prat," Emily laughed, looking between them. She'd done an assignment on the Arthurian legend's last term. Arthur. The Sword in the Stone. Queen Guinevere. Lancelot Du Lac. Morgana Le Fay.

"Future King?"

"Yes," Arthur said bluntly, eyeing the girl like she had two heads and four legs. He took in what she was wearing and was even more so confused, "Where are you from?"

"Northampton?" Arthur's brow knitted, "London? England."

"These places you mention, they are foreign."

"Ah," a rustling in the bushes behind her caught her attention. Not more guards surely? No.

"Where are we?"

"Forest of Dean?" echoed a northern accent in a group of people.

"Okay, when are we?" the girl asked, walking along beside him.

"Not too far back considering. Few hundred years or so? Maybe a millennia?"

They must have come through whatever the hell that was as well. Only they didn't seem half as shocked about it as she was.

It seemed that she hadn't been the only one to notice. The Prince and Merlin walked towards the people, Arthur with his weapon at the ready. Emily followed them as closely as she could – they had saved her life after all. At least, Merlin had.

"Woah, okay," a cockney spoke this time; he raised his hands slightly showing he was no danger.

"Lower your weapon," A soldier in black ordered, a gun in his grasp.

"Lower yours, by order of the Prince of Camelot."

"Hah!" the youngest of the males grinned inanely at the girl beside him before turning back to him, "It's gotta be Arthur, Abs. It's Camelot! And that's Prince Arthur!" she patted his arm patronisingly and smiled at the three strangers.

"We've come for the girl," the soldier added, lowering his gun to his side and eyeing the misplaced teenager.

-

"What is it?" Emily asked walking towards the light source and reaching out her hand again. It felt cold.

"It's called an Anomaly," the girl explained to her, "There portholes through time."

The Prince and Merlin stood looking at it, confused and bewildered by it and it's presence in a place they had both been to a countless number of times before.

"Explains why I was in my back garden and then in the middle of Camelot!"

"Witchcraft?" The Prince accused, hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Not quite," he Londoner answered with a grin, "Ready, Emily?" She nodded, turning towards the other two men.

"Thank you, for saving me," Arthur smiled smugly and accepted the gratitude, "Both of you," she turned to Merlin, "I saw what you did, thank you."

Merlin's eyes widened, nobody had ever thanked him before. Ever.

"No trouble," he replied, a dopey grin on his face. Emily took a few steps towards him, planting her hands gently on his shoulders and tiptoeing to kiss him on the cheek. The tops of his ears tinged red in embarrassment.

"Don't think I'm kissing you too," she said bluntly to a hopeful looking Arthur, his face dropped, "I'm not facing the wrath of the future Queen of Camelot."

"Come on, let's go, before you tell them all of history!"

-

"Thank you," Emily said for the thousandth time as Sarah sealed the anomaly.

"It should go in a few hours. We'll post some guards, and we'll need to keep an eye, the sites reopen sometimes. No going back through in the future, you hear me?" Quinn ordered.

"Yes sir," she mock saluted him, guiding them back into the house and towards the front door, "Well, until next time."

-

Bored. That was the word that Emily would use to describe that feeling that had completely consumed her entire being. Her project laid on the table unfinished beside her, a word document was opened but no words yet filled the page.

None at all.

She groaned, throwing her pen down onto the pad she'd been doodling on. She rubbed her eyes; flopping back in her desk chair, spinning until she was facing her window.

Then she saw it: the glistening light of the anomaly.

She grinned, perhaps this time they could help her with her assignment. She had to rewrite legend.


End file.
